MAP OF SPAIN

ABOUT SPAIN
Official name:Espana (Spain)

Capital: Madrid

Currency: The euro since 2002. 1 € is about $1.17 (2017)

Road network: The main roads are quite good. There are some toll roads

Time difference: GMT+1; the same time as in the Netherlands

Government:Spain is a parliamentary monarchy with a bicameral legislature.

Geographic data
Spain is located on the Iberian peninsula, of which it occupies 80% (the remaining 20%
being Portugal), in the southwest of Europe. To the north are France and Andorra with
the Pyrenees as a natural border. Also the Balearean islands (Mallorca, Menorca and
Ibiza) in the Mediterranean, the Canary islands in the Atlantic (near the Maroccan
coast), and Ceuta and Melilla (located in Northern Africa) belong to the Spanish
territory.

Spain is the third country in Europe as for it's size and fifth as for population numbers. It
has a surface of about 505.955 square kilometers. This includes all the islands above
mentioned. Spain counts more than 40 million people, most of them living in the cities or
along the Costa's.
 Spain is divided into 19 autonomous areas, including the areas outside the Iberian
peninsula. The most prosperous areas are Madrid, Catalonia and the Basque Country.
Extremadura is the poorest area of Spain, adjacent to Portugal, Andalucia, Castilla La
Mancha and Castillia y Léon.PopulationNaar boven

Spain counts more than 40 million people, most of them living in the cities or along the
Costa's. Spanish state encompassed numerous distinct ethnic and cultural minorities.
The 1978 Constitution recognizes and guarantees autonomy of nationalities and regions
making up Spanish state, and seventeen autonomous communities existed in late
1980s. Major ethnic groups: Castillians, Basques, Catalans, Galicians, Andalusians,
Valencians, Asturians, Navarrese, and Aragonese. There is also a small number of
Gypsies. Ethnonationalistic sentiment and commitment to the ethnic homeland varies
among and within ethnic communities. Nationalist and separatist sentiment run deepest
among Basques.

Population
Spain counts more than 40 million people, most of them living in the cities or along the
Costa's. Spanish state encompassed numerous distinct ethnic and cultural minorities.
The 1978 Constitution recognizes and guarantees autonomy of nationalities and regions
making up Spanish state, and seventeen autonomous communities existed in late
1980s. Major ethnic groups: Castillians, Basques, Catalans, Galicians, Andalusians,
Valencians, Asturians, Navarrese, and Aragonese. There is also a small number of
Gypsies. Ethnonationalistic sentiment and commitment to the ethnic homeland varies
among and within ethnic communities. Nationalist and separatist sentiment run deepest
among Basqueus.

Languages
Spanish is the main language, spoken throughout the whole of Spain. But there are
some regions with an additional language. In Cataluña people also speak Catalan, in
Galicia Galician, Basque in the Basque Country and finally Valencian in the Valencian
society. This can be very confusing at times, because in Cataluña and Basque Country
many people consider their dialect the main language. On schools sometimes the
regional language is taught as the first language, wih Spanish as a second one.
Roadsigns are often first in Basqe or Catalan and only then in the Spanish language in
these autonomous regions.
HISTORY
In prehistoric times various people have crossed the Strait of Gibraltar, coming from
Africa, as show the archeological findings in the caves of Altamira. Ligurians and
Iberians originally have African roots. Mycean sailors played an important part in the
trade with Spain. Since the 7th century BC. the Greek also participated in the trade. The
Phoenicians from Carthage conquered part of Spain at the end of the 5th century BC
and met with the Celts in the north of the peninsula who had arrived between 900-600
BC.

But soon all people in Spain were dominated by the Romans. The three provinces
Tarraconensis, Baetica and Lusitana became important centres of Roman civilisation
and the economy thrived. Spain had become totally romanised. But the prosperity and
civilisation waned after the invasions of German tribes in the 3rd century AD. In 411
tribes sign an alliance with Rome, which enables them to establish military colonies
within the Empire.

Economy
Spain was a latecomer to economic and industrial modernization. Early in the twentieth
century, economic progress was made in fitful starts, but in the 1960s the process of
renewal began in earnest. Before then, the Spanish economy was one of the most
underdeveloped in Western Europe, and it was sometimes characterized as a Third
World economy. A spectacular period of growth and modernization during the 1960s
and the early 1970s profoundly transformed the Spanish economy, bringing it much
closer to the West European consumer society prototype. A new spectaculair growth is
going on the last few years thanks to the Eurpean Union, but as a side effect
unemployment has also grown to almost 25%. But the growth of the economy still
depends on the banks, rich families, state companies and large landowners and not on
the small and medium-sized businesses which would be healthier.

In 2001 the working population of Spain counted 18 million people.

8,3% of the labour force work in agriculture, although it uses more than 50% of the land
surface for it. But the production per hectare is less than in other European countries.
29,9% of working population work in the industrial sector and 61,8 % in the service
industry, the latte being the biggest contributor to the National Gross Product. Most
important sources of income at the moment are tourism and export.

Did you know?

Spain is the third-most-populous country where Spanish is an official language.
5 Biggest Cultural Differences in Spain.

1) Greeting
This will be the first thing you notice. In Spain, people greet each other with
¨besitos (little kisses)¨. For first timers, it can be awkward and strange, but you will get
used to it. This is when you merely touch your right cheek, then left cheek with that of
the other person. You don’t actually give the person a kiss, rather than simply touch
cheeks while making the kissing sound. It sounds funny, but happens naturally. Women
and men give besitos, women give women besitos, but men generally do not give other
men besitos (only unless family or good friends). They normally shake hands and/or
give a pat on the back (sometimes a half hug). Younger kids sometimes only give one
besito…just go with the flow.
It’s expected to greet others like this, not only on the first occasion, but when you meet
with them any other time. For many students, giving besitos might seem like sending a
romantic gesture rather than a greeting, but after two weeks or so, it will feel natural.
Just don’t hesitate! When you meet someone, jump in there and get it over with! It’ll be
less awkward than staring at the other person for 3 minutes deciding if you’re going to
give besitos or not.

2) Eating Schedule
Practically every meal time in Spain is completely different from the American
schedule. Breakfast is shortly after waking up but only consists of a coffee and toast or
a pastry. Breakfast time all depends on when you wake up, generally speaking between
the hours of 8 and 10. Lunch is where things start to get difficult. Spaniards don’t eat
lunch until 3ish…yes, “3ish” meaning slightly before or after 3pm. This can be the
hardest meal to get used to as Spaniards eat such a light breakfast, waiting until 3ish in
the afternoon feels like you’re going to starve to death. But good news, lunch is the
biggest meal! Somewhere between lunch and dinner allows for a snack. It’s normally
kids who regularly eat a snack, but feel free to grab a sandwich or some fruit if you feel
like you can’t make it until dinner. Speaking of dinner, it’s expected to eat at 10, 10:30,
or later. This is the general time for natives, but since MundoLengua students live
with Spanish host families, these families try to prepare dinner a little earlier (around
9-9:30) to make the cultural adjustment easier.
Not only are the eating times different, the food is another cultural difference too.
Click here to check out a Centro MundoLengua student blog that explores
the Spanish cuisine.
3) Siesta Time
The siesta is an essential component of the Spanish lifestyle. Siesta time is taken
after lunch (around 5ish to 7:30ish). It literally translates into the word “nap” but,
consists of more than just sleeping. This is the time where people relax and rest up in
order to finish the day. Many people go home to visit their families, watch TV, or grab
drinks with friends. Expect to see some stores close down during the siesta time, but
then reopen later in the evening. This is normal.
The only thing to keep in mind here is to be respectful of what others are doing their
siesta time. If your host dad is sleeping, don’t wake him up. Don’t go shopping during
this time (many stores will be closed). And try not to plan activities during these hours.
Remember, this is relax time.

4) Being Late
As Americans, punctuality is essential; we even have a saying, “if you’re early, you’re on
time. If you’re on time, you’re late. And if you’re late, it’s unacceptable.” Spain most
certainly does NOT abide by this. If meeting a Spaniard, expect them to be at least 7
minutes late (give or take). Just to give an example, when I meet my Spanish friend, he
always arrives 15 minutes late. I’ve learned to accept his tardiness and plan to arrive 15
minutes later than the planned time. This way, no one is late!
Cultural differences like this are challenging to get accustomed to since many study
abroad studentsmight get nervous or impatient when both people aren’t ready to go at
the planned meeting time. But don’t worry, this will only happen when organizing plans
outside the MundoLengua program. Centro MundoLengua continues to operate
punctually!

5) Taking your time

Spaniards enjoy taking their time no matter the event. Whether meeting for a coffee with
friends, eating dinner, or just catching up with someone, make sure at least 2 hours, if
not more, are set aside. The Spanish culture is all about taking life as it comes,
relaxing, and spending lots of time with friends and family, so naturally, they do not want
to rush any organized plans. This includes meals with your host family too. It’s rude to
leave the table immediately after finishing. Just take your time eating and then hang
around and chat with your host family for a little while.
At first it will feel like dinner takes 3 hours, which it does (however, not every time), but
then when you embrace meal times and focus on talking with your room-mate and host
family, time will fly! Same for when out with Spanish friends! Many people have grown
to prefer it over the rushed American schedule. People in Spain truly enjoy the other
person’s company…even for hours at a time!
 FLAG OF SPAIN
The flag of Spain (Spanish: Bandera de España, colloquially known as "la Rojigualda"),
as it is defined in the Spanish Constitution of 1978, consists of three horizontal stripes:
red, yellow and red, the yellow stripe being twice the size of each red stripe.
Traditionally, the middle stripe was defined by the more archaic term of gualda, and
hence the popular name rojigualda (red-weld).
The red and golden-yellow colors of Spain's flag were first used in the late 1700s by the
King of Spain, as he tried to easily differentiate his ships from those of other countries.

FACTS OF SPAIN
 Not all Spaniards are native speakers of (Castilian) Spanish. There are
four official languages in Spain (Castilian, Catalan, Basque and Galician),
three unofficial regional languages (Asturian, Aragonese, and Aranese), and
several more dialects.
 The official name of Spain is “Kingdom of Spain.
 The national anthem of Spain has no words.
 Of all the interesting facts about Spain, this one is perhaps the most bizarre.
On May 15th all the single women in Madrid visit the chapel called Ermita de
San Isidro to prick their fingers with pins and put it in a vessel, in order to find
a husband.
 The name Spain diverged from the word Ispania, which means the land of
rabbits.
 Spaniards own more cars than cell phones.
 In business, face-to-face contact is preferred to written or telephone
communication.
FAVOURITE DESTINATIONS IN SPAIN:
Barcelona
Sandwiched between a pristine beach, and soaring hilltops encrusted with Gaudi's art,
Barcelona really is a city with it all. A Gothic Quarter which will leave you starry-eyed,
insane nightlife, festivals all summer long, heaps of galleries, all night jazz joints, fun
locals, food markets and the otherworldly Sagrada Familia are just a few of our
highlights.

Madrid
There are more bars per capita in Madrid than in any other European city – proof that
Spain's capital loves to party! Explore the narrow labyrinths of Madrid's medieval
quarter and the grand 18th and 19th Century boulevards around the centre, which are
studded with some of the most fashionable boutiques in the world. 2,800 hours of
annual sunshine, plus heaps of galleries and cathedrals seal the deal.

FESTIVALS IN SPAIN
1. La Tomatina, Buñol

One of Spain’s most weird and wonderful festivals takes place in the small town of
Buñol, hosting 30,000 visitors in late August annually. La Tomatina invites participants
to collect overripe tomatoes and throw them at each other in a ridiculous but
entertaining ceremony. The games begin around 11am when a ham is placed on top of
a large, greased pole and people race to climb to the top and bring it down. With the
victory, the tomato throwing officially begins. It’s not a competition but rather a fun
opportunity for everyone to let their hair down with music, parades, dancing, and
fireworks alongside the tomato fight.
2. San Isidro, Madrid

San Isidro is the patron saint of Madrid and this celebration marks the start of
bullfighting season where the best in the industry travel to mark the occasion. Part of
the charm of this festival lies in the traditional dress everyone wears to the plaza for
open air concerts with classic Spanish dancing. Showcasing the best of the cities
energy, this festival embodies a mix of traditional culture and modernity. Don’t miss
the Gigantes y Cabezudos’ parade, and unforgettable evenings of Zarzuela and comic
opera, a true highlight of the festival.

3. Haro Wine Festival, Rioja

In the heart of Spain’s Rioja producing area, Haro Wine Festival attracts thousands of
visitors every summer but it’s not quite what you expect. Fondly known as the Batalla
de Vino (wine battle), the festivities involve participants finding containers and carrying
as much wine as physically possible, ready to throw at fellow festival goers in
combat. Led by the town’s mayor on horseback, the procession winds through the
town to the Cliffs of Bilibio. The battle supposedly evolves from a dispute between two
towns in the tenth century and now attracts people from all over the world, traditionally
dressed in white.
SOURCES OF THE REPORT

 https://www.google.com.ph/search?rlz=1C1AOHY_enPH803&ei=dJQ0W5eCD4j
u-QbUp5WQBw&q=MAP+OF+SPAIN&oq=MAP+OF+SPAIN&gs_l=psy-
ab.3..0i131i67k1j0l9.80415.9
 .ph/search?rlz=1C1AOHY_enPH803&ei=CJc0W52FIsHp-
Qaf55_gBg&q=5+Biggest+Cultural+Differences+in+Spain.+1%29+Greeting&oq=
5+Biggest+Cultural+Differences+i
 https://www.google.com.ph/search?rlz=1C1AOHY_enPH803&ei=fJg0W9WALs6
g-Qb_wre4Dg&q=FLAG+OF+SPAIN&oq=FLAG+OF+SPAIN&gs_l=psy-
ab.3..0i131k1j0l9.238208.241259.0.242484.52.
